The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Ah
Auschwitz, the meaning of pain
The way that I want you to die
Slow death, immense decay
Showers that cleanse you of your life
Forced in
Like cattle you run
Stripped of
Your life's worth
Human mice, for the Angel of Death
Four hundred thousand more to die
Angel of Death
Monarch to the kingdom of the dead
Sadistic, surgeon of demise
Sadist of the noblest blood
Destroying, without mercy
To benefit the Aryan race
Surgery, with no anesthesia
Feel the knife pierce you intensely
Inferior, no use to mankind
Strapped down screaming out to die
Angel of Death
Monarch to the kingdom of the dead
Infamous butcher
Angel of Death
Pumped with fluid inside your brain
Pressure in your skull begins pushing through your eyes
Burning flesh drips away
Test of heat burns your skin, your mind starts to boil
Frigid cold, cracks your limbs
How long can you last
In this frozen water burial?
Sewn together, joining heads
Just a matter of time
'Til you rip yourselves apart
Millions laid out in their
Crowded tombs
Sickening ways to achieve
The holocaust
Seas of blood, bury life
Smell your death as it burns
Deep inside of you
Abacinate, eyes that bleed
Praying for the end of
Your wide awake nightmare
Wings of pain, reach out for you
His face of death staring down
Your blood's running cold
Injecting cells, dying eyes
Feeding on the screams of
The mutant he's creating
Pathetic harmless victims
Left to die
Rancid Angel of Death
Flying free
Angel of Death
Monarch to the kingdom of the dead
Infamous butcher
Angel of Death
Angel of Death
Auschwitz, the meaning of pain
The way that I want you to die
Slow death, immense decay
Showers that cleanse you of your life
Forced in
Like cattle you run
Stripped of
Your life's worth
Human mice, for the Angel of Death
Four hundred thousand more to die
Angel of Death
Monarch to the kingdom of the dead
Sadistic, surgeon of demise
Sadist of the noblest blood
Destroying, without mercy
To benefit the Aryan race
Surgery, with no anesthesia
Feel the knife pierce you intensely
Inferior, no use to mankind
Strapped down screaming out to die
Angel of Death
Monarch to the kingdom of the dead
Infamous butcher
Angel of Death
Pumped with fluid inside your brain
Pressure in your skull begins pushing through your eyes
Burning flesh drips away
Test of heat burns your skin, your mind starts to boil
Frigid cold, cracks your limbs
How long can you last
In this frozen water burial?
Sewn together, joining heads
Just a matter of time
'Til you rip yourselves apart
Millions laid out in their
Crowded tombs
Sickening ways to achieve
The holocaust
Seas of blood, bury life
Smell your death as it burns
Deep inside of you
Abacinate, eyes that bleed
Praying for the end of
Your wide awake nightmare
Wings of pain, reach out for you
His face of death staring down
Your blood's running cold
Injecting cells, dying eyes
Feeding on the screams of
The mutant he's creating
Pathetic harmless victims
Left to die
Rancid Angel of Death
Flying free
Angel of Death
Monarch to the kingdom of the dead
Infamous butcher
Angel of Death
Angel of Death
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Page
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There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
This in no way glorifies the Nazi's or any of their ethnic cleansing/genocide/fucked up ways... Only a MORON would be so narrow minded.
Its vital to be reminded of the atrocities of the past so we as a race do not make the same mistakes again.
Apart from that.... This is a GREAT song to crank up at 5am on your 8,000,000 watt stereo system and wake all your neighbours up with... trust me, they will thank you for turning them onto one of the greatest metal bands of all time!
Actually, there was a "Mad doctor" during the holocaust that did all of these things to Jews as experiments. Like sewing them together at the head, filling there brains with fluid, etc... Back during the holocaust that had no anesthesia so these experiments done by the "Angel Of Death" were immensely painful.
@hydrogen <br /> Joseph Mengele:<br /> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Mengele<br /> Hopefully he's burning in hell right now (and I'm not overly religious)
Josef
yeah, this is a great song, but unfortunately dumbass people assume that Slayer are nazis because of this song... its fucked up how people think that slayer are nazis just because in this song mentions jews and the holocaust!!! (how can Slayer be nazi when the vocalsist is hispanic hahahahhaa)
thats exactly what ive been fucking saying to people, its bullshit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />
man, when the guy screams at the beginning of this song, it's so high pitched that i thought it was a guitar making that noise! Slayer is classic, 80's metal. The real stuff. Who cares about all of the sub-genres?
Alright, to clear up some misconceptions: 1) Slayer aren't racist. Half the band is Hispanic. 2) Slayer aren't Nazis. If they wanted Megelay to look good, they wouldn't call him "rancid" or "merciless butcher" 3) Slayer ARE partly Christians. They simply recognize that yelling stuff about the Holocaust and witches (Reborn) makes for good thrash.
I can’t understand why every German who posts comment on this song feels like he has to apologize for things Nazis did more than 60 years ago. I don’t think anyone is going to assume that you are Nazi just because you are German. If you ask me you people are way overburdened by your past. You jump to conclusions without reason. This song is not made to glorify Nazis or to sympathize with their victims. Slayer only tried to make dark song about evil man and his deeds. Singing about mengele is no different than singing about Ed Gein or the zodiac killer. Just because Dead skin mask lyrics are made from perspective of serial killer doesn’t mean that Araya is going to skin people on tour. Same goes for angel of death. Just because song is about Nazi it doesn’t make Slayer Nazis.
Jeff Hanneman wrote the song. He's calling the doctor that did expiriments on Jews the Angel of Death.
Josef Menegel was the head medical officer at the Auchwitz Concentration camp. He was one sick puppy. He would cut out parts of Jew's brains and see what part of their bodily functions were effected. Its kinda fucked up but a lot of what we know about the brain comes from his experiments. Well anyway. The Jews were never told his name so they called him the Angel of Death.
The "angel of death" sucks farts and should have definetly been tried,but he is most definetly paying now as he burns in hell the piece of shit,he is fucking clown shoes,fuck the angel of death,fuck him in his ass!
Well if any of you knew your WWII history you would know that Joseb Mengele was also called the Angel Of Death. This song is about the concentration camps and the crazy shit that went on in them. Auschwitz, is the most famous of the concentration camps. There is were only executions took place, atleast i think it's that one can't exactly remember. But anyway that is what the song is about. Your welcome for the free WWII lesson.
It is famous because the Nazis were unable to destroy it before the war ended. It still stands as it did the day the war ended. It is now a museum dedicated to showing how death and torture is possible through technology.